Mānuka Hut and Emily Hill
Activity Date:
Updated:
People:
Finn,
Jen,
Emily H,
Korra 🐕
| Sat Nov 30, 2024 [Show, Download GPX] D1: Mānuka Hut | 16.69km 3:27:18 | 4.83km/hr 416m ⬆️, 127m ⬇️ |
| Sun Dec 1, 2024 [Show, Download GPX] D2: Emily Hill & Lake Emily | 20.23km 6:21:03 | 3.18km/hr 617m ⬆️, 914m ⬇️ |
| 36.92km 9:48:21 | 3.76km/hr 1033m ⬆️, 1041m ⬇️ |
Day 1: To Mānuka Hut
We had a leisurely start after deciding late on Friday evening to do something this weekend. We picked Em up on our way out of town and headed to the track start via the Darfield Bakery – always a reliable source of hiking snacks and lunch. Most of the hilltops were covered in clouds, but we were glad for some protection from the sun!
The track is very relaxed, there are no hills to speak of and it is very well-formed. It would make a good cross-country mountain bike, I’m sure. A good area to practice some bike-packing. We walked pretty fast, keen to not get to the hut too late in the evening.
Thankfully, the hut was not busy. There were only two other people there (two women with their dogs), so that was nice (Tala the Terror was very cute). As we snacked on cheese and crackers in the sun and read some of our books the wind died off and the skies began to clear. It made for a very pleasant night, if slightly chilly for me in my very lightweight sleeping bag (8C comfort rating).
Day 2: Out via Emily Hill & Lake Emily
After a shockingly bad sleep, I ended up dozing until about 8:30am – that’s a huge sleep-in as far as tramping is usually concerned! We had a slow breakfast with lots of coffee and then hit the track. The sun was unrelenting from the moment it rose above The Fingers on Mt Somers Range and we had to pay careful attention to Korra to ensure she drank water at each creek and got splashed to cool her down.
We started by heading up Emily Hill, a steep but short climb to a flat top. The view is stunning in all directions, and you can even see Lake Emily in the distance between there and the Clent Hills (which contain Mt Barrosa). After dodging spaniards and matagouri on the way down to Lake Emily we headed back down the Stour River West Branch, intending to take the track up Markham’s Stream and cross Barrosa to Ashburton Gorge Road. After reaching Markham’s Stream we decided it was too hot and we couldn’t carry enough water to keep ourselves and Korra (the main concern) safe. We decided instead to go back to the car the way we came. There was much more water available, it was much shorter, and in the end, we were plenty tired and sore of foot by the time we reached the car.
